Guardian
by sleeplessthoughts
Summary: "He drives me absolutely mental but, I guess the important fact here is that he saved me before there was nothing left to save." Ichigo Kurosaki x OC (Chise Fujihara) [Rating likely to go up]
1. Chapter One: The Beginning

When I said I wanted to be stronger _this_ is not really what I meant. How do you even explain something like _this? _Maybe I should just start with the beginning, you know before everything went mental.

* * *

**Approximately two months before the incident.**

"Heh, you're pretty good Chise."

"You're not so bad yourself Ryo."

It was an average day really, I went through all my classes without incident... well excepts when Keigo drove me up a wall and I spent the next five minutes yelling at him. Then after school I was practicing with the track team which really meant competing against Ryo. After, like most days, I headed home to help watch my younger siblings. Though there was one thing different about that day, I didn't take my nightly walk.

Perhaps it was my intuition that stopped me from taking that walk.

How could I have known that that was the night that would start all of this?


	2. Chapter Two: New Girl

**Approximately two months before the incident.**

The strange events that started happening after that night... well it didn't take a photographic memory to remember the rumors. Someone had crashed into the Kurosaki residence in the night and the whole family slept through it. There was a new girl named Rukia Kuchiki and even though Ichigo and Rukia said they had never met it was obvious that they had.

I remember thinking that instead of trying to hide dating the girl, Ichigo should have just admitted it even if his carefully crafted reputation was wounded. How innocent and _normal _I had thought things to be then.

I started to feel weird that day too.


	3. Chapter Three: Strange Occurrences

**Approximately one and a half months before the incident.**

It started with the way Ichigo and Rukia ran off all the time. At first I had thought they were dating but eventually I questioned my judgement, what exactly they were doing was at the time still a mystery to me.

Then the attack on Orihime and Tatsuki which of course Orihime relayed over lunch the next day with a crazy impossible story. The way Ichigo and Rukia had looked at each other and their whispered conversation. Everything felt strange, including me.

That's the day I started watching Ichigo and Rukia more closely.

Chad's talking cockatiel was a whole other story. The way the bird had spoken; something about it just didn't feel _right. _Chad, Ichigo, Rukia, Orhime... they all saw it as well. I'm positive of that. Yet even after that unlucky damnation brought all sorts of bad luck onto him, Chad continued to protect it.

Then the bird was gone.


	4. Chapter Four: Memory

**Approximately one and a half months before the incident.**

At first the memories of that night were foggy and cloudy but as time past they became clearer. As I got stronger, I started to remember.

It was late. I hadn't been able to get any sleep so I had went for a walk. I couldn't have possibly know what was lurking in the shadows.

I remember that I had felt this tremendous pressure knock me down and I was terrified. I couldn't see what had knocked me over but I could... almost sense it as if whatever it was, it was hiding behind a veil I could not pass. The pain that came next was the worst thing I had ever felt, I cried out.

It was over within a minute, at first I had believed myself dead but as my eyes open I was greeted by the strangest sights in my life. Rukia Kuchiki had been there when she wasn't before and she was yelling, yelling directions to...Ichigo.

I had known Ichigo Kurosaki from the moment of my birth. We shared a birthday and we were both delivered at the Kurosaki clinic by his father and we had been mere hours apart. Our parents were friends, we grew up together, went to school together, took karate together, got our assess kicked by Tatsuki... together. It changed when I moved back from Tokyo, we had grown up and grown apart and suddenly the duo was separate. We lived our own lives, we acknowledged each other when we passed in the halls or in class but nothing more transpired.

So to see him dressed in that Shihakushō with that giant sword welded in his grasp, fighting some invisible force had made my head spin. It all seemed so impossible. I fainted from exhaustion, pain, and confusion.

When I came to I was being carried back home by Ichigo with Rukia by his side and the only thing I could think to say was "Tatsuki could still kick your ass" and he had laughed, they both had. It had been the most contact we had since I had come back that year.


	5. Chapter Five: Reacquaint

**Approximately one and a half months before the incident.**

"Keigo, I said get off of me!"

"But my beautiful flower is hurt! I must nurture you back to health with my love and care!"

"If you don't get off me right now you're the one whose going to need to be nurtured back to health!"

"I'm fine with that as long as you're the nurturer!"

I had managed to worm my one arm free but just as I was getting ready to take a swing at the idiot he was yanked off and away from me by his shirt collar. Though to my greater surprise it wasn't Tatsuki who had come to my rescue but a familiar orange haired boy. His hair always reminded me of when we were kids and people would tease him about his hair to the point where he would get upset and to cheer him up I would throw my hair over his head and joke that he looked better with his hair then he did with blonde.

"Chise."

"Hmm?"

"How's the knee?"

"It's just a little sore, I'll be fine in a few days though I'll be more careful on the stairs from now on."

That was the day Ichigo Kurosaki and I started talking again.


	6. Chapter Six: Awkward

**Approximately one month before the incident.**

The thing about being the eldest sibling is that in the absence of any literal parental figure you are the next in line of the onerous task of responsibility. Now, being the eldest of four children and being quite often, within the last year, deemed the parental figure for the majority of the time becomes a bit grating. Normally I try not to let it get me.

I take my teenage younger brother Hiroshi's angst and the hate-everything-I-do attitude in calm and collected stride. I take my other younger brother Ozora's habit of quite often bringing home stray animals thanks to his overwhelming love for them in stride as well. Hell, I even take the stray and Ozora to the non-euthanizing pet shelter in the next town over on weekends to ensure the animal will get taken care of and Ozora won't cry. I even take my younger sister Kai's unshakable clingy attitude and habit of following me around like a mother hen in stride.

Yet, never in the history of my time being a surrogate mother have I ever been placed in such an Awkward with an capital _A, _situation because the thing about Kai is that she has a substantial distrust of doctors so getting her to go to one when she is sick is incredibly hard. Today she, and in turn I, stayed home from school because she had contracted a cold and in the end the only doctor I could convince her to go to was... Isshin Kurosaki.

So here I was, ringing the doorbell to a family clinic of a family I had barely spoken to in years when they were probably having a nice family dinner only to be interrupted by me and my sniffling nine year old sister. If there was such a thing a merciful God, please have him strike me down now to kindly put me out of my misery. Unfortunately, there apparently wasn't an all powerful and merciful God because sure enough, moments later a half chewing, half swallowing, Isshin Kurosaki answered the door surprised and interrupted from his dinner.

"I'm very sorry Kurosaki-san, but Kai has a cold and the only doctor I could convince her to go to was you. So,if it's not to much to ask would you please take a look at her?"

"CHISE!" Just like the fact of my distant relationship with any of the Kurosaki family members was set aside and I was thirteen again, being greeted by Isshin like I was a third daughter which ultimately meant being crushed in a smothering hug. "You know you're welcome here anytime! I have no problem examining your sister! Come in, Come in!"

With that I was being ushered inside and down to the clinic, not without first passing the entrance way to the dining room containing the three surprised Kurosaki siblings, the eldest of which I tried not to make too much eye contact with. Ichigo and I may have been speaking to each other again but under it all I could still sense the petty tension in him that kept him from acknowledging my existence for the past year and the awkwardness of this situation didn't do much for our feeble relationship at the moment.

**{[Time Skip]}**

"You were right, just an ordinary cold. Have her take some cough syrup and cold medicine and she'll be good as new within the week." Isshin declared as he handed me the prescription for her cough syrup and leaned down to high five Kai with his ordinary goofiness.

"Thank you so much Kurosaki-san-"

"Chise, I told you years ago to just call me dad!"

I shook my head, somethings never did change.

**{[Time Skip]}**

"Chise." I looked up at the familiar voice, met with the habitual scowl he carried though the scowl never did touch his eyes so much. You could always tell that Ichigo Kurosaki actually cared via his eyes. I knew the look in his eyes now too, it's one I hadn't seen in years; he wanted to talk. I knelt down easily to be eye level with Kai, instructed to go with Isshin for a moment while I talked to Ichigo, to which she nodded and obediently latched onto Isshin and followed him.

"You look tired." He said after a moment, something about the way he said it seemed like that wasn't what he had intended to say.

"My, oh, my is that actual concern?" Hurt, now that was an odd thing to see in his eyes. Was it possibly he felt guilty about not speaking to me? Why should he when I never tried that hard either? In the end I just sighed and answered him seriously, head inclined slightly, as the height difference between us wasn't that vast, in order to look him directly in the eyes. "I'm always tired Ichigo."

"You weren't at school." Again it seemed as though it wasn't what he had wanted to say, but he looked tense. He looked stressed out about something and everything. He looked just as tired as me.

"Kai was sick. I'll be back tomorrow."

It wasn't until the next morning when I heard all the odd different stories of the day before did I realize maybe at Ichigo had been specifically worried about something. No one seemed to have the same memory, and for the most part they seemed to be normal. It was almost as if their memories had been replaced.

That was the day my memory started to resurface too.


	7. Chapter Seven: June 17th

**Approximately one month before the incident.**

Day had long since turned to night by the time I arrived to my destination. He stood exactly where I expected him to be with his head bent and a thoughtful but mournful expression upon his face. It was only because of him that I was here; normally I wholly avoided anything to do with death. But at the end of the day I understood his pain and the depth of it as well.

My understanding of this was the cause of any residual awkwardness I had towards our rekindling relationship to melt away. Inevitably I slipped back into the role I had filled nearly three years ago, my arm linked with his and my head fell against his shoulder and he in turn relaxed just as he had done years before. I was always the comforter, whether he was sad or angry, this was my most prominent role in our friendship. I had missed this but I had been the one to leave it behind after all.

"You didn't kill her Ichigo." I was met with silence for an answer, and that's the way it stayed for a long time before he spoke.

"I was mad at you. You left everything behind and you never said a word. All those times you counselled me and when it was my turn to repay you, you just turned your back and left." I went to speak but he cut me off, I could feel him shaking now with anger at all the things he had wanted to say. I was actually surprised his temper had held out for so long. "You always do that. You help everyone but when you need help you never ask for it you just suffer in silence. I don't understand Chise, I don't understand."

I sighed, I knew he would say it, I knew he would. I just never wanted to give him the answer because even I was aware at how daft it sounded. "I never wanted to burden anyone."

"That's not a damn answer."

"But it's the truth, I could lie and tell you something that sounds a hell of a lot better but I'm not going to. The only thing I ever regretted about moving away and distancing myself was alienating my friendship with you. I regret hurting you Ichigo and maybe it is dumb excuse but it is the truth." He didn't look at me and he didn't speak, but he didn't pull away and leave either. It was a good sign in the world of rekindling friendships, it showed I hadn't hurt him bad enough for him not to care anymore. Ichigo always cared more than he let on and I could see that to us both our friendship still existed.

It made me happy in an odd sense; I missed my best friend being my best friend.

"I'm sorry." I punched him in the side for that one, he had nothing to be sorry for. It didn't hurt him though, none of my punches ever did, he always chuckled at them.

**{[Time Skip]}**

The awkwardness melted away from that point on and it felt nice, unbelievably nice, to have things back to what they used to be. Even better, it was great to be able to freely talk to him even if most of the time he kept his idiotic scowl on his face and kept silent more than he spoke as we walked away from the cemetery. His family had gone home earlier which was a relief because I don't think I could bare to endure Isshin's and Yuzu's impossibly large grins that we were friends once again.

"Ichigo, If you don't want to tell me it's fine, but what's going on with you and Rukia?" I received no answer, so I continued. "I remember you know. That night a couple weeks ago, whatever happened I still don't understand. I also guessed that it was the reason you started talking to me again because you felt guilty. Which is fine, it's just I don't really understand what's going on." Just like that Ichigo stopped, it was rare for me to surprise him, but it seemed this time it was just what I had done.

"It's complicated" He said after a moment and started to walk again, now keeping pace with me instead of walking slightly behind me.

"We're not even halfway to my house yet, I have time."

And so he began to explain, and the more he said the more my head spun, but truth be told it sounded exactly like something Ichigo and his morals would do. Or maybe we were both insane.

**{[Time Skip]}**

"So basically you're a monster fighter. Pretty cool Kurosaki, pretty cool."

He rolled his eyes at me as we neared my house, and I fumbled for the key in my pocket. Before I bid my farewell he spoke up again.

"Are you ever going to talk about it?" I sighed, I had to answer and we both knew it, it didn't matter whether I wanted to answer that question or not.

"It took two years. Two hell filled years of watching her get sicker and sicker and slowly wither away. I can't sleep because I still see her dying every time I close my eyes. Her ghost follows me everywhere; I see her in every spot in this house. Two years of memories for a woman who was already dead when she got the stage IV prognosis and I still can't figure out what killed her more, the cancer or the thought of leaving us behind." I didn't look at him, I was facing the door because I wouldn't let him see me cry. I had to be the strongest. What would become of Hiroshi, Ozora, and Kai if I fell apart like dad had?

"She didn't deserve to die."

"You wanna know something Kurosaki?" I said as I started opening the door and stepping in giving a little wave over my shoulder. "She died a year ago today; we were given life on the same day and the mothers who gave us life died years a part on the same day. Just another thing we have in common." I didn't wait for his response before closing the door. I wouldn't let anyone see me cry.


	8. Chapter Eight: Protector

**Approximately two weeks before the incident.**

The first time the veil over my vision lifted and I was able to see a hollow was at the live recording of an episode for Don Kanoji's show. It horrified me and not solely because it was a terrible sight but also because I feared for Ichigo when he began fighting it. Of course there was not much I could do, I was anchored in one spot by my siblings and my weakness; there was nothing I could do and I hated that. My body had shook with horror and anxiety and a terrible churning feeling tore through my abdomen. I wanted to be strong but I wasn't. Not in the sense that Chad or Tatsuki were and definitely not in the sense that Ichigo was.

I wasn't completely defenseless but my tall and slight body type left me at a disadvantage for the lack of muscle and brute strength but I knew how to work with what I had. I had taken martial arts classes for years and while I wasn't particularly strong, I was quick. I stuck to quick strikes and evasive fighting maneuvers but that wasn't enough to fight something like a hollow. I couldn't do anything and worst of all my fear prevented me from moving even if I had been able to help.

I was weak and powerless to this new world exposed to me now and I hated it.

**{[ Time Skip ]}**

"You saw the hollow this time didn't you?" Ichigo asked the next morning on our way to school (which we now walked together to just like when we were younger).

I knew he would notice that I was distant this morning, my head consumed in my own thoughts. I nodded to answer him and a silence fell between us for a moment before I spoke up "The sight of it isn't what is wrong though, it's the fact I couldn't do a damn thing. I hate that, Ichigo."

He caught my arm, stopping me mid-walk and turned me to face him, brown met blue in a fierce gaze. "You don't need to do a damn thing, I will always protect you."


	9. Chapter Nine: The Incident

**The day of the incident. **

There was a horrible eerie feeling that led up to _the incident_. The unsettled way I felt haunted me as I went around the house cleaning and doing my daily chores as a surrogate mother. Kai was sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table working on homework from earlier that day and Hiroshi was sprawled out on the couch incessantly flipping back and forth through channels on the television. Ozora was out with one of his friends and dad... dad was somewhere. I wasn't worried about Ozora still being out until I peered out the window and saw the hollows coming out from the sky.

"Hiro, watch Kai, I'm going to go find Ozora." I yelled at him as I rushed towards the door slipping on my shoes and he merely grunted in response while continuing his channel surfing.

Once out the door, I was running towards the house I knew Ozora was at and praying to whatever was in charge of the universe that he was fine. Had I been thinking clearly I probably would have thought of the fact that I had no clue how to fight a hollow if I encountered one. Fortunately, as I ran not one hollow came after me and even better I ran into Ozora half way to his friends house.

"Nee-chan! Do you hear it too? The roaring sounds?" He asked catching up to me and I wrapped my arms around his tiny shoulders, ecstatic that he was alright. My good fortune didn't last forever because just as I went to answer him, I felt a hollow, in a very odd sense, appear behind me.

Turning and shielding Ozora with my body I met it's gaze, it was quite possibly five times the size of me and resembled something closely to a spider. It's eyes bore down on me from behind it's giant mask and made a roaring sound that sounded too much like it was cackling.

"Ozora listen to me, go home and stay inside with Hiro and Kai. I'll be back in a little while. I promise." He nodded, eyes wide, and ran; thankfully the hollow kept it's gaze upon me and made no attempts to chase after him.

My mind was racing. I had said it before, there wasn't much that I could do in a fight against a hollow. My punches and kicks surely weren't strong enough to damage it and not to mention I really did not know how to kill it either. I think it sensed my fear because it's cackling increased. Managing to unnerve me all the much more. There were too many of them pouring from the sky to the point that it was to much to hope Ichigo would happen to save me again. This time I had no choice, either I run and let it follow me or fight and maybe at least die something other than a coward.

I readied myself and willed my mind to believe I was strong enough to fight it. With blind ignorance I jumped while the creature was inattentive. I was aiming to strike a kick onto it's body but as I got close the hollow lifted it's enormous head and opened it's mouth spitting purple gelatinous goo which I barely avoided. The goo burnt the ground where it landed and I skidded against the pavement.

"Daft girl, you are weak. Such a shame as well, your reiatsu did look so delicious."

It spit again, this time it hit me in shoulder, burning through my shirt and searing my skin. I screamed as the smell of burning, festering skin wafted into my nose and blinding pain shot through my shoulder. The beast began to cackle again as I stood there holding my shoulder and tears welled up in my eyes. That was the point my anger began to build, escalating and brewing inside me. Mixing with the weird feeling I had had now for months.

I was not weak. I was not weak. I was not weak. **I WAS NOT WEAK. **

Inside me, something burst to life, a product of my fiery temper and the pressure welled up inside me. In a moment of great power I leaped from my spot on the ground, injured shoulder momentarily forgotten, and I swung with a force I did not know I possessed. Blue strands of electricity - ironically the color of my eyes- glowed in my hands being manipulated under my whim which exploded as I made contact with the white mask the hollow wore, shattering upon impact.

The body followed next, slowly dematerializing before my eyes and I landed harshly against the ground out of breath and a deep-rooted fatigue now creeping into me. There was also the overwhelming sense of pride and strength mixed with the pain of my shoulder. All combining in a hectic state of mind.

**I was not weak. **

Darkness took over then and I faded into unconsciousness.


	10. Chapter Ten: Follow

The world came back to me slowly, the darkness slinking away from my vision. My body was sore and my shoulder was unpleasantly stiff. I noticed though the cause of the stiffness was that the burned flesh had been tightly bound in bandages and I could feel sticky cream working at my skin underneath the cloth. Unfortunately though my shirt was ruined, tattered and burned on the right side where the bandages now covered any exposed skin.

Memories danced across my mind as I sat up and fell back down, unbalanced. Instead however of pushing myself up I merely stared at my hands. Had I really done that? Wonder struck me then, as did an overwhelming sense of self pride.

"Fujihara-chan?" I looked up at the mention of my surname; noticing for he first time that one I wasn't alone and two I had absolutely no clue where I was.

"Orihime? Chad? What in the..." I was cut off however by a door opening to reveal a hatted blonde man.

**{[ Time Skip ]}**

Just as I had gained power I was put back to my place of inability to do anything. I had a new found power yet no idea how to control it. There was nothing I could do once again, and I began to hate myself for that. I stood by and watched as Ichigo fought alongside Uryu Ishida, tensing up every so often.

In the end I knew what the man -whose name I had forgotten if he had even offered one- was trying to do. We all felt it, something was brewing on the horizon and when the time came we had to chose a side. He didn't know me though, didn't know this wasn't necessary. If someone I cared about needed me, I would follow.


	11. Chapter Eleven: Friends

I hadn't gotten the chance to tell Ichigo about what happened. Perhaps I was just avoiding it, he would find out soon yet I seemed to be determined to prolong exposing what happened. I didn't really have a logical reason behind keeping it secret other than the instinctual idea that Ichigo would be upset at the fact he wasn't my savior anymore.

An idea which was all together completely ludicrous.

I kept silent though and sat on the steps, watching as Ichigo ran to wherever his idealistic morality was leading him. I made no comment at the way Orihime nearly ran after him nor was I surprised when Chad silently appeared. He had made friends with people just as courageous as him and as we watched, I knew we would follow.


	12. Chapter Twelve: Get Angry

My eyes clamped shut and my teeth gritted against each other in concentration. Orihime and Chad had been able to call forth their powers with ease but here I was struggling to even get a spark. All they had to do was think about what happened when they first obtained their powers, but that was my problem.

I couldn't remember. It was lost in a haze of overwhelming anger at everything but mostly myself.

"Focus Chise"

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU THINK I'M DOING?! HAVING A FUCKING TEAR PARTY?!" I exploded at the deep voiced talking cat, which was admittedly less strange than half the other things going on at the moment.

A crackling sound filled the room and I looked, wide eyed, at my palm now projecting an orb of chaotically twisting electrical energy.

"It seems that the key to your powers for now is to just get angry." Yoruichi said eyeing my hand just as the entire room was now doing.

Get angry. Yeah... great.


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Protests

It had been hell convincing my aunt to come stay for the summer holiday so I could 'be a normal teenage for once' and spend the holiday on the beach with my friends. The argument I had with my father after telling him that was far worse. However as I approached the shop and remembered Rukia and the night she helped Ichigo save my life, I knew it was worth it. You couldn't just let someone die for doing the right thing.

"...Chise?" Ichigo looked perplexed by my appearance and I sighed predicting the coming argument. "What? No way, you're not coming along. It's too dangerous."

"I'm not a child Ichigo, don't baby me. I can handle myself."

"No."

"Ichigo Kurosaki, stop being a stubborn fool. I'm coming along whether you like it or not." Somehow in the argument we had ended up face to face and I punched his chest repeatedly in frustration. He caught my wrist, though I know I did not hurt him, and he looked as if he was about to protest more until Yoruichi cut in.

"If you two are done, let us move along."

Our argument halted momentarily as we moved inside after Urahara, who seemed to have muttered 'lovebirds' under his breath and I chose to blatantly ignore the man. Ichigo was like a brother to me... nothing more.


End file.
